SEER Symposium Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Seth Goldman

TeaEO Emeritus & Innovation Catalyst

Coca-Cola's Venturing & Emerging Brands

Seth Goldman co-founded Honest® Tea in 1998 with Professor Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management. Over the past eighteen years the company has thrived as consumers have shifted toward healthier and more sustainable diets. In March 2011, Honest Tea was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company, helping to further the reach and impact of Honest Tea’s mission by becoming the first organic and Fair Trade brand in the world's largest beverage distribution system. Today, Honest Tea is the nation’s top selling ready-to-drink organic bottled tea and Honest Kids® is the nation’s top-selling organic children/youth beverage. The brands are carried in more than 100,000 outlets in the United States, including all Wendy’s and Chik-fil-A restaurants. In 2016 Honest Tea’s distribution will be expanding to Europe.

In 2016, Seth transitioned to a new role at Honest Tea as TeaEO Emeritus and Innovation Catalyst for Coca-Cola’s Venturing & Emerging Brands business unit. This transition allows him to take on an additional role as Executive Chairman of Beyond Meat, a privately held California-based enterprise where Seth has served as a board member since 2012. Beyond Meat is a company on the cutting edge of plant protein research and development, with a goal of providing plant-based protein foods - without sacrificing the taste, chew or satisfaction of animal meat.

In addition to offering a range of lower-calorie beverages, Honest Tea has been recognized as the first company to launch an organic bottled tea (1999) and a Fair Trade Certified bottled tea (2003). Today every Honest Tea variety is certified organic and Fair Trade. The company has initiated community-based partnerships with suppliers in India, China, Paraguay and South Africa. In 2015 Seth was named the #1 Disruptor by Beverage World, and Beverage Executive of the Year by Beverage Industry magazine; he was also inducted into the Washington DC Business Hall of Fame. Seth has also been recognized by the United States Healthful Food Council with a REAL Food Innovator Award for helping change the food landscape by providing options that are healthier for both the body and the planet.

Seth serves on the advisory boards of Ripple Foods, the Yale School of Management, the American Beverage Association, and Bethesda Green (a local sustainability non-profit he co-founded). He graduated from Harvard College (1987) and the Yale School of Management (1995), and is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. Seth and Barry are the authors, along with graphic artist Soongyun Choi, of The New York Times bestseller Mission in a Bottle, which was published by the Crown Business division of Random House in September, 2013. The book, told in comic book form, captures their efforts to create a mission-driven business in a profit-driven world. Seth lives with his wife and three sons near Honest Tea’s Bethesda, MD headquarters in an eco-friendly house.

Symposium Speakers

Harrison Clay

President

Clean Energy Renewable FuelsA Clean Energy subsidiary

Mr. Clay serves as our President of Clean Energy subsidiary Clean Energy Renewable Fuels. In this role, Harrison is responsible for leading Clean Energy's efforts to produce and sell renewable natural gas (or biomethane) that is derived from the anaerobic decomposition of organic waste. Prior to joining Clean Energy in 2008, Mr. Clay worked at the San Francisco investment bank WR Hambrecht + Co.

Mr. Clay has extensive experience in structuring and trading environmental commodities, venture capital, corporate and project finance and the clean tech and energy industries. Mr. Clay has a JD from the University of Virginia and a dual AB in Anthropology and English from the University of Georgia.

Kathleen Talbot

Senior Sustainability & Business Operations Manager

Reformation

Kathleen joined Reformation in 2014 to help further the brand’s mission to lead and inspire a sustainable way to be fashionable, and challenge the status quo in the fashion industry. Reformation designs and manufactures limited-edition collections in its Los Angeles factory - the first sustainable sewing factory in the U.S. Kathleen directs sustainability programs that range from fabric sourcing, supply chain compliance, and operational efficiencies to make beautiful styles at a fraction of the environmental impact generated by most fashion brands. Kathleen also works on customer-facing campaigns and services to raise awareness around the impact fashion has on the environment, and how Reformation offers sustainable solutions.

Prior to joining Reformation, Kathleen worked as a Sustainability Officer for a liberal arts university and as a National Science Foundation consultant for public school districts to design and implement sustainability programs across curriculum, campus operations, and community-engagement.

Kathleen holds bachelor’s degrees in Global Development, Latin American Studies, and Economics from Seattle Pacific University, and received her MA in Sustainability from Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability.

Catherine Hoke

Founder and CEO

Defy Ventures

Catherine Hoke is the Founder & CEO of Defy Ventures, a national nonprofit organization that “transforms the hustle” of currently and formerly incarcerated people. She was named a #MakeTechHuman Agent of Change by WIRED and Nokia for being one of “17 Global Influencers Expanding Human Possibility Through Technology.” Catherine also received the MDC Partners Humanitarian Award on behalf of Defy Ventures (2015). She was named by Fast Company as one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business (2014) and is an Ashoka Fellow (2013).

Catherine left behind a successful career in venture capital and private equity to lead organizations that reduce recidivism and create new legacies of success. After making mistakes and then being given a second chance of her own, Catherine founded Defy Ventures in 2010 to build a nationally scalable model for transforming human potential.

Evan van Hook

Evan is Corporate Vice President for Health, Safety, Environment, Product Stewardship & Sustainability for Honeywell International, a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader with 129,000 employees serving customers in 70 countries. From 2005 to 2015 Evan was Adjunct Professor of International Environmental Law at Columbia Law School in New York City, and he is an occasional guest lecturer at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.

He is a graduate of the Yale Law School and a former partner in the global law firm of Sidley & Austin. From 2002 until 2004 Evan served as Assistant Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and he has published numerous articles on environmental topics. Evan is a 2012 recipient of the Honeywell Senior Leadership Award, the Company’s highest honor.

Desmond Wheatley

President and CEO

Envision Solar International, Inc.

Desmond Wheatley, president and CEO of Envision Solar International, Inc., teaches a LEED-accredited class on sustainability in parking and is a recognized industry leader in renewables and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. He has a widely viewed TED talk and is frequently invited to chair and speak at industry events. Wheatley has two decades of senior international management experience in technology systems integration, energy management, communications and renewable energy. He sits on the boards of Envision Solar; AdMonsters; the Human Capital Group and formerly DNI.